Post by Blaque on Feb 1, 2007 7:46:23 GMT -5
Tape shows two officers dismissed repeated calls for help. Department plans an investigation.
www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/16584384.htm
By CHRISTINE VENDEL
The Kansas City Star
Two Kansas City police officers repeatedly ignored a pregnant woman’s claims that she was bleeding and needed medical help, a police videotape released Tuesday shows.
Sofia Salva told officers nine times during the first five minutes of the stop that she was bleeding or wanted to go to a hospital. After the ninth request, a female officer asked: “How is that my problem?”
Salva requested help at least 12 more times during the 30-minute encounter nearly a year ago. The officers arrested her for traffic violations, including a fake temporary license tag, and outstanding city warrants.
The next morning, after being released, she delivered a premature baby boy who lived one minute, according to a lawsuit Salva filed Friday.
“The officers went into this with a preconceived idea of who and what they were dealing with, and they were wrong,” said Salva’s attorney, Andrew Protzman. “It’s tragic.”
Police have opened an internal investigation.
“We want to understand exactly what happened,” department spokesman Capt. Rich Lockhart said. “It’s a matter of trust.… We want to make sure the community trusts us to get to the bottom of this regardless of the way it reflects on the Police Department.”
The Jackson County lawsuit names the officers and the department for wrongful death, personal injuries and failure to provide medical assistance. The suit seeks actual damages exceeding $25,000 and punitive damages to punish and deter such conduct in the future.
Officer Melody Spencer, a four-year veteran, could not be reached for comment. The other officer, Kevin Schnell, declined to comment. He has worked for the department less than two years.
Police released a copy of the officers’ patrol car videotape after The Star requested it under the Missouri Sunshine Law.
The officers pulled over Salva near Ninth Street and Brooklyn Avenue on Feb. 5 after they saw her affixing a fake temporary tag on the back windshield. Salva stopped her car for the officers at 10:45 p.m. She opened her door because her window would not roll down.
“Shut your door!” Spencer yelled. The officers radioed in the car description and approached the car.
“Do you know why I stopped you?” Schnell asked.
“Because I have one light?” said Salva, a Sudanese native.
“No … It’s because you’ve got a fake temporary tag in your back window. That temporary tag was not there 10 minutes ago. I watched you put it in. Where did you get it?”
“It was in the car,” Salva said.
“Why wasn’t it in the window?” Schnell asked.
Salva said she didn’t have any tape. Then she added: “I’m having a miscarriage.”
“OK,” Schnell said. “So you don’t have any tape. So you got the tape and put this fake — fake, not real — Missouri temporary tag in your window?”
“I have a problem. I’m bleeding,” Salva said. “I took the car and I want to go to the hospital.”
“OK,” Schnell said. “Do you have a driver’s license? You don’t have ID or anything? Stay there. Don’t move.”
“Do you want to check me?” Salva asked. “I’m bleeding. I have a 3-month baby inside.”
“OK,” Schnell said. “Do you have a driver’s license?”
Schnell then walked away from the car and told his partner: “She just gave me a line of excuses. She said she’s bleeding. She said you can check her.”
The officers exchanged a few more sentences. Then Schnell told Spencer: “She says she’s three months pregnant.”
Salva said: “I’m three months pregnant and I’m bleeding.”
Spencer replied: “OK. Why are you driving to the store and then putting a fake temporary tag in your car?”
“I took it because I want to go to the hospital,” Salva said.
“Come back here,” Spencer said. “Put your hands on the car. Spread your feet.”
“I’m bleeding,” Salva said as Spencer frisked her. “You can check my underwear.”
Spencer declined.
The officers made Salva sit on the curb as they searched her car, purse and grocery sacks.
Salva again told Spencer to “look down” to see the blood.
“It’s called a menstrual cycle,” Spencer said.
Salva again asked to go to the hospital.
“Well,” Spencer said, “that will be something you can take care of when we get done with you.”
Several more minutes passed before Schnell asked Spencer if she had gotten Salva’s name.
“No. I was just hoping to get an ID,” she said referring to the search of the car.
Spencer asked Salva for her name, became frustrated and accused her of being unable to spell her first name.
After a drawn-out process to get Salva’s identifying information, Salva is clearly upset.
“I have a baby in my stomach and I’m bleeding and I open my underwear for you to see.”
“Stay seated!” Schnell yelled.
“If I die here, will you take care of me?” Salva said. “If I die here?”
“Fair enough,” Schnell said.
Eventually, the officers call in Salva’s information to a dispatcher and learn she has outstanding city warrants for mistreatment of children, trespassing and several traffic violations, including driving while suspended. The bonds added up to $4,600.
“That explains a few things,” Schnell said. “Hands behind your back.”
After handcuffing Salva, Schnell remarked on her height.
“You’re pretty tall,” he said.
“I’m bleeding. I swear to my God,” she said.
“I don’t doubt that you’re possibly bleeding, but you got a lot more problems with us,” Schnell said.
When the arrest van arrived to take Salva to jail at 11:11 p.m., she again said to Schnell: “I’m bleeding.”
“When we take you to the station, we’ll be able to report all that.”
As the officers waited to load her in the arrest van, Schnell asked Salva why she didn’t buy a real license tag.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I’m sorry. I don’t know.”
But then Salva said she didn’t get one because she couldn’t with a suspended driver’s license. Schnell asked why she didn’t say that earlier, and Salva said she was scared.
Salva didn’t appear to mention her medical situation to the arrest van’s driver.
Booked in the police headquarters jail at 11:30 p.m., Salva said she continued to ask for help but was ignored. The next morning about 9 a.m., jailers let her go to a hospital after she passed a large blood clot. Salva delivered a premature baby boy, who lived for one minute, according to a lawsuit Salva filed Friday.
No tapes were available of Salva’s time in the Police Department jail. The department’s legal adviser said the tapes had been recycled in the ordinary course of business before they were aware of Salva’s claims.
www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/16584384.htm
By CHRISTINE VENDEL
The Kansas City Star
Two Kansas City police officers repeatedly ignored a pregnant woman’s claims that she was bleeding and needed medical help, a police videotape released Tuesday shows.
Sofia Salva told officers nine times during the first five minutes of the stop that she was bleeding or wanted to go to a hospital. After the ninth request, a female officer asked: “How is that my problem?”
Salva requested help at least 12 more times during the 30-minute encounter nearly a year ago. The officers arrested her for traffic violations, including a fake temporary license tag, and outstanding city warrants.
The next morning, after being released, she delivered a premature baby boy who lived one minute, according to a lawsuit Salva filed Friday.
“The officers went into this with a preconceived idea of who and what they were dealing with, and they were wrong,” said Salva’s attorney, Andrew Protzman. “It’s tragic.”
Police have opened an internal investigation.
“We want to understand exactly what happened,” department spokesman Capt. Rich Lockhart said. “It’s a matter of trust.… We want to make sure the community trusts us to get to the bottom of this regardless of the way it reflects on the Police Department.”
The Jackson County lawsuit names the officers and the department for wrongful death, personal injuries and failure to provide medical assistance. The suit seeks actual damages exceeding $25,000 and punitive damages to punish and deter such conduct in the future.
Officer Melody Spencer, a four-year veteran, could not be reached for comment. The other officer, Kevin Schnell, declined to comment. He has worked for the department less than two years.
Police released a copy of the officers’ patrol car videotape after The Star requested it under the Missouri Sunshine Law.
The officers pulled over Salva near Ninth Street and Brooklyn Avenue on Feb. 5 after they saw her affixing a fake temporary tag on the back windshield. Salva stopped her car for the officers at 10:45 p.m. She opened her door because her window would not roll down.
“Shut your door!” Spencer yelled. The officers radioed in the car description and approached the car.
“Do you know why I stopped you?” Schnell asked.
“Because I have one light?” said Salva, a Sudanese native.
“No … It’s because you’ve got a fake temporary tag in your back window. That temporary tag was not there 10 minutes ago. I watched you put it in. Where did you get it?”
“It was in the car,” Salva said.
“Why wasn’t it in the window?” Schnell asked.
Salva said she didn’t have any tape. Then she added: “I’m having a miscarriage.”
“OK,” Schnell said. “So you don’t have any tape. So you got the tape and put this fake — fake, not real — Missouri temporary tag in your window?”
“I have a problem. I’m bleeding,” Salva said. “I took the car and I want to go to the hospital.”
“OK,” Schnell said. “Do you have a driver’s license? You don’t have ID or anything? Stay there. Don’t move.”
“Do you want to check me?” Salva asked. “I’m bleeding. I have a 3-month baby inside.”
“OK,” Schnell said. “Do you have a driver’s license?”
Schnell then walked away from the car and told his partner: “She just gave me a line of excuses. She said she’s bleeding. She said you can check her.”
The officers exchanged a few more sentences. Then Schnell told Spencer: “She says she’s three months pregnant.”
Salva said: “I’m three months pregnant and I’m bleeding.”
Spencer replied: “OK. Why are you driving to the store and then putting a fake temporary tag in your car?”
“I took it because I want to go to the hospital,” Salva said.
“Come back here,” Spencer said. “Put your hands on the car. Spread your feet.”
“I’m bleeding,” Salva said as Spencer frisked her. “You can check my underwear.”
Spencer declined.
The officers made Salva sit on the curb as they searched her car, purse and grocery sacks.
Salva again told Spencer to “look down” to see the blood.
“It’s called a menstrual cycle,” Spencer said.
Salva again asked to go to the hospital.
“Well,” Spencer said, “that will be something you can take care of when we get done with you.”
Several more minutes passed before Schnell asked Spencer if she had gotten Salva’s name.
“No. I was just hoping to get an ID,” she said referring to the search of the car.
Spencer asked Salva for her name, became frustrated and accused her of being unable to spell her first name.
After a drawn-out process to get Salva’s identifying information, Salva is clearly upset.
“I have a baby in my stomach and I’m bleeding and I open my underwear for you to see.”
“Stay seated!” Schnell yelled.
“If I die here, will you take care of me?” Salva said. “If I die here?”
“Fair enough,” Schnell said.
Eventually, the officers call in Salva’s information to a dispatcher and learn she has outstanding city warrants for mistreatment of children, trespassing and several traffic violations, including driving while suspended. The bonds added up to $4,600.
“That explains a few things,” Schnell said. “Hands behind your back.”
After handcuffing Salva, Schnell remarked on her height.
“You’re pretty tall,” he said.
“I’m bleeding. I swear to my God,” she said.
“I don’t doubt that you’re possibly bleeding, but you got a lot more problems with us,” Schnell said.
When the arrest van arrived to take Salva to jail at 11:11 p.m., she again said to Schnell: “I’m bleeding.”
“When we take you to the station, we’ll be able to report all that.”
As the officers waited to load her in the arrest van, Schnell asked Salva why she didn’t buy a real license tag.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I’m sorry. I don’t know.”
But then Salva said she didn’t get one because she couldn’t with a suspended driver’s license. Schnell asked why she didn’t say that earlier, and Salva said she was scared.
Salva didn’t appear to mention her medical situation to the arrest van’s driver.
Booked in the police headquarters jail at 11:30 p.m., Salva said she continued to ask for help but was ignored. The next morning about 9 a.m., jailers let her go to a hospital after she passed a large blood clot. Salva delivered a premature baby boy, who lived for one minute, according to a lawsuit Salva filed Friday.
No tapes were available of Salva’s time in the Police Department jail. The department’s legal adviser said the tapes had been recycled in the ordinary course of business before they were aware of Salva’s claims.